Dating The Enemy
by Jariye
Summary: Vayne, a night hunter, is a skilled huntress capable of taking down even the most dangerous of foes. Her greatest mission however? When she meets Vladimir, the crimson reaper. However in a spiral of events, she finds herself having to date the enemy instead?
1. Enemy Spotted

The organization was a special subsection of the Demacian underground network of spies, a legion of elite special troops to obtain Intel and knowledge of the enemies of the empire. The night hunters were one particularly branch of the order, created to combat the dangerous creatures which lurk in the dark corners of the world, tasked to eradicate these monsters. While the world slept, it was them who walked the earth, a playground for the hunters and the hunted.

Vayne was among them, her skills and prowess in combat allowed her to be recruited from the Demacian army and into the shadow. Her fearsome hatred for such creatures fueled her to excel in the order, quickly climbing the ranks to be among the top rated huntress they had ever seen. There was never a mission she failed, always returning back victorious and triumphant from battle. No celebration was ever upheld for her return, no applause. She worked gracefully in the concavities of the night, no one except the council of ten ever seeing her.

Today was another ordinary day for her, starting with an evening meal she cooked herself while catching up on a book she longed to read for a while now. Afterwards, she made haste to the library, diving straight to the mystery section in the very far back as she pulled a select book combination, watching as the book shelves moved, revealing a passage for her to enter. It was a normal day for her, collecting her next assignment before heading out.

The task had lead her all the way into the mountainside, taking a few days to make it by horse. The townspeople have reported that of a disturbance deep within the forest, claiming kids had gone missing for days. When they reappeared, they were drenched in blood, saying they ran into a monster, but no cuts or wounds were visibly shown on their bodies.

Vayne followed the path the townsfolk had mentioned, brushing through sticks and bushes until she stopped right outside of a large obsidian temple. There had been no paths leading up to this spot, the building itself seemingly looking to be empty and abandoned. Many of the windows were shattering, the paint rusting and fading away. Looking at the door, it was broken and falling apart, cobwebs covering the way inside.

What bothered her the most was the peculiar smell of blood, fresh and new, with a hint of what she believed to be meat. Someone was surely inside she knew, probably a monster who had dragged its prey inside to dine upon. There was no doubt she was no longer alone, but how many were inside, she did not know the answer to.

Sneaking straight through the entrance would surely alert them no her presence, noticing the frail wooden floor which would squeak under the smallest of pressure. Instead, she looked towards another way inside, clinging to the side as she found a nice, large square hole where a window was supposed to be. She jumped in, being in what appeared to be a living room.

Vayne occupied herself behind a black woolen couch and peaked about. A fire place settled itself upon the wall with the fire still blaring about. On the wall hung a few old and faded paintings, which she believed depicted ancient kingdoms and told a romance between a princess and a peasant. Next to the walls were also several bookcases filled with a wide variety of books. Perhaps she was in the study, or maybe this cozy room was to lead weary travelers into a false sense of security?

The huntress crossed the room to head into an open hallway and wondered about, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. The fire had already told her that someone was home, signaling that it wasn't a mere werewolf or a beast without brains, otherwise it couldn't have lit the fire. Fifteen minutes had already breezed by and yet still not a single person in sight. She also hadn't even scratched the surface of this enormous temple too. You'd expect some signs of life by now. At least let the creature attack in some form, she grew tiresome of this game of cat and mouse.

She nudged open the door before her and found herself in the dining room. The metallic blood scent she had smelled earlier poured through her nostrils now. The table was practically covered in it, the white sheet on top being drenched by it. On top of the table was a deer which was cut open, blood gushing out of it. The sight of it disgusted her, relishing in the fact someone could possibly find that enticing. Again, more signs of life, and not enough life present.

"Really now, you should just knock. It's not often I get visitors you know. I would have prepared a proper meal had I known someone was coming," a male's voice said behind her.

Vayne tumbled forward, grabbed her crossbow, and turned around, aiming it at the creature. On a mere premise he appeared to look like a normal human being. He had long, glossy white hair and wore a noble scarlet outfit. The man definitely held the aura of a noble man that was for sure. His dark, crimson eyes she noticed were almost enchanting, and yet she felt something dark lurking within, something ominous luring her in.

"How long have you been behind me? What are you?" Vayne questioned, her crossbow never leaving his body.

"Now now… first let's start with names. My name is Vladimir, what is yours Madame?" the man said.

"Do you not get the position you're in, or do you enjoy getting shot at?" the huntress retorted.

"Is this what you humans call a kink? Does this mean you're kinky?" Vladimir quickly got excited, hurriedly jotting something down in a notebook he had by his side, "and if you really want to know, I knew you were here since you began to enter the forest and was behind you the entirety of the time since the moment you entered through the window to the study."

Vayne paused for a moment, staring at him baffled that something so fowl had called her kinky. If he wasn't a monster, then she would have him hanged as a pervert instead. Still, she couldn't believe the notion that he was behind her this entire time, her senses were far too refined and would have noticed his presence by now if it was true. With modern technology, there was a chance he was spying on her through a camera, but she hadn't seen any wires or any sign of electricity nearby.

"Now, what is your name?" Vladimir said.

"None of your business," Vayne muttered, eyes still locked upon him.

"Nice to meet you none of your business. I am quite famished, so I am going to go eat, please make yourself at home my dear," he said before strolling straight over to a chair at the far end of the table.

The night hunter merely watched as he moved by. Sadly, she lacked any sufficient evidence to prove his guilt or innocence. For now she'll have to play along until he unveils any sense of bloodlust. Merely taking his head would be much easier; however, if he truly was guilt-free, the higher ups would surely chew her out. She made her way over to sit at a chair at the far end of the long, narrow table away from this 'Vladimir'.

"So, tell me about yourself 'none of your business'. I'll love to know more about my infiltrator," he said, eyes genuinely curious, "what about your interests you were so eager to perform earlier? Is this what the humans call bdsm? Oh, I'm so excited, do tell me."

She was quickly on the edge, ready to send a bullet straight through his skull, but she calmed herself down, not acting out of anger and rashness, "listen here pervert, shut up and go choke on your food for me."

"Haha… go ahead, be negative, you'll be just my type," Vladimir laughed.

"Did you just… hit on me?" she raised a brow, "I'm starting to enjoy the notion of being a sadist and showing you what hardcore bdsm is if you don't shut up."

"Wait wait, no no, it was a blood joke. Get it?... you know… negative… blood type? And er…" Vladimir trailed off. He quickly got out a scarlet notebook he had earlier, titled, "How to be a normal person, the Do's and Dont's" and jotted something down.

"Let's cut to the chase shall we? Are you a vampire or not?" Vayne said. She could care less at this point. She'll much rather just camp out and wait for his move. He had to leave eventually to feast anyways if he were a creature of the night.

The question seemed to hurt the man in some way. "Is it the clothes? The hair maybe? Too gothic maybe?" he murmured, "everyone always presumes I'm a vampire. I was hoping I looked more, I don't know, a human? People always think I want to suck their blood nowadays."

Vayne let loose a silver arrow and let it gracefully soar half a centimeter past his cheek. However, the man sat unfazed.

"Well, I'm not exactly human if that is what you are asking," Vladimir said.

She got up from her seat, hearing plenty enough to decipher this man was truly her target. Without a moment's hesitation she quickly brought out her crossbow, letting a bolt fly straight at her target, merely testing his capabilities. Such an attack was easy and predictable to dodge, but to her surprise he let it hit up straight in his shoulders, watching as he was sent flying out of his chair and onto the ground.

The man slowly got up, using the table to aid him as he picked himself off the ground. He grabbed ahold of the arrow and yanked it out of his body, wincing from the pain. Once again, he grabbed the notebook, and jotted something down before returning her gaze.

"Alright, so it was pretty painful, and it was not an enjoyable experience," he concluded, "therefore, I learned I am not a masochist. I think, I can't help but feel excited. I don't know if this, uh, kink as you humans call it, is thrilling or just having company for once makes me feel so alive."

This entire situation became embarrassing, making her feel awkward and left uncomfortable. This was supposed to be a fight to the death, not helping some creep she just met discover his kinky side. She was prepared to launch a real assault on him, when he disappeared from his spot, standing in front of her with pure joy gleaming from his eyes.

"Let's go on a date," Vladimir exclaimed, beaming.

"A… what?" Vayne stuttered, her face becoming bright red. Surely this was a ploy from the enemy, his best attempt to deceive her into a false sense of security before feasting on her carcass.

The man stood in silence for a moment, scratching his head and crossed his arms, "isn't that what you humans call it, you know, dating, getting to know one another and all that?"

This mission was by far the most embarrassing thing she had ever encountered, wanting it to end already. The man had left her uncomfortable and confused, but it only fueled her desire to kill the beats. She remained calm and collected, regaining focus as she prepared to attack, but the sudden intrusion of a black and grew stripped bird had her stop dead in her tracks. It was a special messenger bird from the organization, one that shouldn't have known her location.

It landed on her shoulder, dropping a piece of tightly tied parchment into her hands, flying away as its mission was done. She quickly eyed her foe, not sensing any bloodlust from him yet, so she unwrapped the letter and began reading.

* * *

"Dear Vayne,

There is an update to the mission at hand. The organization is short on funds as most of the Demancian gold is currently being used to aid the war efforts. We made an error in your original mission documents when we said to kill the man, he is a large donor of money currently. We want you to get on his good side, seduce him if you must, so he will be happy and keep funding our cause.

Thanks,

The council."

* * *

"What did it say," Vladimir inquired.

"Nothing," Vayne muttered, taking a long time to calm herself down before turning around, smiling as she said, "so, about that date?"

* * *

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the story so far, please tell me what you think about it and tell me if there is anything I can do to improve! Thanks.


	2. Double Date? Double Trouble!

The sun had slowly risen, peaking its head through the vast, luscious green mountains and offering its shining brilliance to pour through the window. The rays were warm on her soft, silky pale skin, a sensation that had felt welcoming and set her body into fully gear, rejuvenating with life again. She had rolled over, letting the rays wash over her face, letting the sun siege full control of her body.

It was by now when she had made her way out of the bed, but quickly regretted her decision to getting up. Her head had begun to spin, spiraling all over the place as a tremendous headache had washed over her, making her body feel heavy and burdened. A hazy, foggy memory ravished her mind, thoughts seemingly out of place and discombobulated, like a robot with gears out of place.

However, she would need to eventually get up, so she made another desperate attempt, shuffling out of bed and making her way towards the kitchen. A cup of coffee would suffice, just something small to wake her up, which she set the pot on as she patiently waited at the table, resting her head.

Events from yesterday was all hazy that she could not make out anything. Rather, there was a dozen of things she possibly thought may have happened, but her head hurt too much to be able to sort through any of them. There was an endless array of possibilities, but none of which she could really figure out as the answer. All she could think about was there being a building she was going to yesterday, and something very important had happened, but just exactly was it.

The home phone on the wall began to ring, the tune further expanding her headache, but she tried her best to ignore it. Getting up was far too much of a hassle, but the phone was persistent. It continued three more times, never ceasing until finally she had enough, getting up to grab it herself, bringing it to her hear and waited for someone to say something, annoyingly tapping away her foot as she waited.

"Hey so are we still on for the dinner date tonight at your place?" a woman said across from the phone.

Vayne had completely forgotten about the promise she made her friend, Luxanna. She was supposed to cook something for her and her boyfriend tonight, a way to get to know this new man in her friend's life, and test to make sure he was a good candidate to get the right at dating her best friend. Not just any man could do as he pleased with Lux, not until they get approved of by her first.

Despite the pounding headache, she fought through the pain as she said, "yeah, it's still on. He better be cute looking too, or else I am going to be seriously judging you."

"Oh shut up," Lux said, "You can't even get a boyfriend, so I don't need to hear that from you."

"I am just waiting for the right man to come along," she pouted in protest, "Being choosy and having good taste is quite different I will have you know."

"Yeah yeah," Lux said, "whatever you say virgin. I will see you at six tonight."

Lux hanged up the phone before Vayne even had the chance to protest, giving her no chance to retort back. There was no shame in being a virgin, none at all, none. She was just far to busy with work. A lot lurked within the shadows, creatures which prowled the night and feasted on unsuspected prey. It was solely up to her to cleanse the darkness from within, so she had no time for games, no time for love. It was perfectly reasonable to still be a virgin too.

The coffee had finally finished, which she happily poured into a glass cup and made her way out of the kitchen and to the living room. For now, she would ignore what she couldn't remember, and focus on preparing today's meal to impress Lux and her friend. Apparently, this new man was someone she hasn't been able to stop talking about, and was constantly with him, which only peaked her curiosity as to who he was.

She made her way to the brown, furry couch, sitting down but not until her body slide off, her cup of coffee tumbling to the floor, spilling. There was a giant, misshaped lug behind a blanket, something of which was definitely not there yesterday. It slowly began to move, sliding down until it revealed two large crimson eyes staring out from within. The man stifled out a yawn as he got up, stretching.

"Who in the world are you, and why are you in my home," Vayne stammered, quickly getting the napkins from a nearby table and cleaning up the mess.

"Have you forgotten already," the man said, still groggy and tired.

"Forgotten what," she said, getting back to her feet as the mess was now cleaned, "why are you in my house."

"Remember," he said, "yesterday you came to my house, and we talked for a bit. You decided we should go out to a bar and you drank everything on sight. You got so wasted that you began to pass out, so I carried you home."

W-wasted? That explained why her memory was all hazy, and how she could quite frankly remember nothing from last night, but that was not the issue here. Her face quickly began to redden as she hugged her arms around her chest area, staring at the man in disgust as she slapped him hard across the face. He must have done so many devious things to her while she was so helpless, that she couldn't stand the thought of it.

"How did you k-know where I lived," she stammered.

"You told me when I asked you," he said, a sly grin crossing his face, "you looked really cute when I carried you back all drunk."

"S-Shut up," she muttered, darting her eyes away, unable to meet his as she stood still, looking like an idiot in her teddy bear covered pajamas.

"Don't worry, I didn't do anything," he said before pointing to a nearby book case, "there is a letter there for you that you dropped. I didn't read anything, but it looked important, so I left it there for you."

Vayne quickly raced to the book case, finding the letter that was left there as he mentioned. She scanned the contents of the documents, seeing if there was any explanation as to what was happening, and sure enough, it all made sense. There was no way he forged the letter either, the stamp and signatures all real. The organization had seriously sent her to date the enemy that she hated most. This was the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to her in her entire lifetime, that she for a moment believed it was all a prank.

"Stay right there, and don't move," she said, racing back inside her room, closing it tightly behind.

She reached for a pair of dark, faded black jeans, wearing a nice leather belt to keep it in place. Next, she reached for a white tank top, which hugged her body nicely as she slipped on a small, black leather jacket to complete her outfit. Afterwards, she made her way to the bathroom, and stared long and hard into the mirror.

Confidence was key, of which she needed to take a breather to calm down and recollect herself. If the organization wanted to degrade her in such a manner, then she had no choice but to accept it and overcome the obstacle. It was not the worst thing that has happened to her, and it wouldn't be the last either, so instead she did not look at all the negatives that could happen. Rather, there was numerous things she could exploit from this situation that she should focus on.

He was nothing more than a beast, a savage, mindless monster that would one day perish beneath her feet once the organization had received all the funding they had needed. Afterwards, she would have her way with him, holding in all this humiliation to direct back at the fiend and with it, towards the organization when she was in a place to do so.

Now she reached for a hair band, tying her long, glossy black hair into a neat ponytail in the back. As long as she remained calm, the reaper would be unable to touch her, she wouldn't allow such filth to even get close to. There was still a lot to do today, so she slapped her two cheeks together, pep talking herself as she was now ready to go and tackle the day as she normally had.

She had left the bathroom, readying to embrace the challenge head on as she made her way back into the living room. Still the man had patiently say, legs crisscrossed with his hands folded in his lap. There was a myriad of questions which cascaded her mind, but she allowed them all to fall to hushed ears as she placed her small, delicate hands on her hip, sighing. For now, she would have to fake it, to abide by her mission and have the fiend pleased and happy, lest she was to return back to the organization empty handed.

"Vladimir… s-sweetie," she began to say, quickly realizing how difficult this was going to be, "t-thanks for dropping me off home… d-dear."

His eyes immediately lighted up at the last word, practically unable to hide how proud he felt. Saying that much was embarrassing, and she had hardly scratched the surface of this relationship. Anything more and perhaps she could die by the one enemy she could not slay, love.

His eyes immediately widened at the sound of the last word, practically unable to hide how proud and excited he felt. Even his hands got all jittery, a sly and dorky grin spread wide across his face. Something so simple was enough have him gushing in his seat, which begged many questions. One of which was how he would fare if they were to do the unthinkable, something absolutely disgusting and repulsive, holding hands. The thought sent shivers down her spine, but a thought she wondered how this monster would handle.

Just getting out that sentence had been utterly embarrassing and degrading, and she had hardly even scratched the surface of this so-called relationship. If things were to go on like this, then she may be finding herself in dangerous territory, such as holding his greasy hands. She would even have to hold his arm and pretend like she was interested in these so-called dates. Not even getting free food would be worth it, even if that would mean eating nothing more than a cup of ramen noodles.

"Anything for you my little honey bunches of oats," he said all giddily, his hands still shaking in a mixture of joy and accomplishment.

"Please don't ever call me that again," she muttered.

"Please don't ever call me that again," she said, clearly repulsed at such a pet name. It was already hard on her to get this far, but who in their rightful mind had thought that was a good pet name to give anyone? Clearly he hadn't had a date, in well, centuries, but she shook away how perplexed she was at such a lousy name to quickly add, "uh, please sweetie."

"Oh, I'm so sorry my little honey bunny," he said, quickly jotting down something in that same black, leather bound notebook he had with him from yesterday, taking careful notes of something she could not make out. After a moment he set aside his pen, finishing up with whatever he recorded before looking up, his crystal clear ruby eyes staring dead into hers as he said, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation in the kitchen from earlier. Are we perhaps going on a dinner date together?"

Panic had finally set in, her normally calm demeanor fully out of composure as she lost herself. This was it, the fatal miscalculation in her plans, the crutch she forgot to deal with until now. It was far too late to cancel on Luxanna, especially as it will look bad on the both of them to her boyfriend. She couldn't possibly damage her reputation on something she personally volunteered to do herself.

However, to willingly allow them to enter her home and see a monster freely roaming her house would be completely embarrassing to her. Not to mention, she feared he would say something completely out of context, or start talking about his extraordinary search for knowledge about kinks and fetishes again, and that was a big no from her. Kicking him out was the only logical option, but he already knows to much, and that may make her look bad as a girlfriend, even if she was a fake.

Calm down Vayne, look at the positives, she began to tell herself. It was not like he was bad looking or anything. On the contrary actually, he was actually quite ravishing to look at, surprising from something so fowl. His hair was like that of snow, tied nicely in a neat ponytail to the back, with long strands of hair parted to the sides at the front in a nice, princely demeanor. Peaking beneath a few stray strands of his hair was dark, intimidating crimson eyes, eyes which could make the strongest of wills grow faint and weak to their knees with a simple gaze.

Not to mention his attire was quite regal and elegant as well for someone so lowly. He wore mostly dark colors, practically screaming edgy and rebellious teenager in his emo phase still, but he somehow had managed to pull it off. His outfit of choice was a black trench coat and matching pairs of pants with a white buttoned-down shirt. Piecing the attire together was silver strings going from one end of the coat to the other, keeping it together and partially closed, and a small black ribbon around his neck like a bowtie.

Upon further inspection, she had now begun to realize, he really could pass off as a man of noble birth. His demeanor radiated a sense of prestige and power, a sense of elegance and charisma, yet his actions couldn't be anything but. While on the outside he seemed like a prince, the part inside of him was nothing but a hardcore dork that was completely lost in the moment and incredibly perverted in nature. This was not someone she could just present to Luxanna and her boyfriend.

"I can't wait to meet to meet your friends dear. I am sure they are quite lovely," Vladimir said, "we can be the emo couple on the double date!"

"E-no, absolutely not," Vayne snapped back, crosses her arms and pouting. She couldn't believe he recognized himself as looking edgy and emo and still decided wearing that outfit was a good idea, "and there is no we either. I am going to go grocery shopping and you are to go back home."

Vayne could see how hurt the man had looked, his bright eyes quickly dimming and his posture slouching, his attitude much more gloomy instead of being incredibly energic moments before. Still, she was resolute in her answer. She could worry about everything involving the man after today, but for now she needed time to reconcile her thoughts and understand specifically why the organization had done this to her without warning.

"Oh, it wasn't like I was all that excited to meet your friends or anything," he responded, slowly getting up from the seat and gloomily walking to the door, "I will just go home for now, all alone, making myself dinner, all alone, and eating it, all alone. Don't worry about me though, I know you need your space, your time. I'll be fine, all alone."

Vayne watched as the man walked out of the door, closing it shut behind him as he walked outside completely depressed, making his intentions obviously crystal clear. She couldn't help but sigh, knowing that a huge weight was lifted off of her chest, but somehow she could feel a large burden on her shoulders. This would not bode well if she were to just leave him as he was. Inviting him to the dinner date may be best thing to do, sealing the deal to this fake love so the organization can get what they want, even if it would possibly be the greatest mistake of her life.

She let out a loud, frustrated sigh as she reached for the brass doorknob, twisted it and yanking the door open. The creature had only moved a few foot from her house, slowly making his leave as he kicked a few pebbles to the side, hands behind his back as he walked. He turned around to see her staring at him, her arms crossed with her foot tapping in place, impatient.

"Don't mind me, I am just leaving. Walking back to my house, so very far away, all alone. Back to the home, up so very high on the mountain top, in the middle of nowhere secluded from people. The home you broke into to confuse your undying love for me. That big mansion, that you saw when you broke inside, and well, have it all to myself, just me, only me, j-" Vayne cut him off, saving her the hassle of listening to him ramble on any longer.

"Would you like to go on a dinner date with me dear," she said, gritting beneath her teeth, "I think it would be much more fun with you by my side."

He quickly began to exude positivity and excitement, his face all smug and accomplished, "well, if my lovely future wife thinks it would be more fun with her lovely prince charming at her side, then I would love to go on a date with you."

"J-Just shut up and follow me. We are going to go grocery shopping alright, for supplies I need to make dinner with okay," Vayne muttered beneath her breath, caught in surprise that he just thought of her as wife material, and already sees them that close so soon. If he were to mention kids, then it is straight to the divorce papers, or he better pay child support to the kids she was definitely never going to have. Not with him that is.

Vladimir nodded, bouncing up and down by her side as they walked along the cobble path together. The journey was mostly made in silence, neither knowing a word to say, but it was oddly relaxing to have peace and quiet. It made her feel at home, as if she was out on the hunt at night, with the moon's light kissing her cheeks and gracing her with its presence. Moment's like these she needed to savor, especially in hectic catastrophe's such as today.

From an outsider's point of view, she began to notice, one may think they were actually a couple, minus all the hand holding and the touching. It would be awkward if anyone she knew caught them together like this, maybe making the mistake and calling out to her. Naturally she would be unable to correct them, lest she to reveal how fake she was. Luckily no one was nearby, probably all indoors or out for work.

"Vladimir," she found herself saying, "why do you look so happy right now, you haven't stopped smiling at all in these ten minutes that we have walked."

"Oh, I hadn't even noticed. I guess it is because of how much we look as a couple in our matching attire," he responded, his eyes and voice softening as he continued, "and I am really excited to have a homemade meal cooked by you."

Vayne quickly looked down at her outfit, absolutely astonished that they really did match. She had not even noticed she had put on the exact same outfit scheme that the man was wearing, and it was technically all her fault that this happened too. Furthermore, she could not stop blushing, her cheeks flustered. It was honestly really sweet that someone was looking that much to her cooking, but did it really have to be from that man of all people?

She tried her best to look away, using her right hand to mask a part of her face, not allowing herself to be seen. There was no way she would allow herself to be caught blushing by a savaged animal. If the organization knew, her reputation would be damaged and completely crushed.

Finally, after what had felt like an eternity, despite it being a fifteen-minute walk, the grocery store had come into view, which they had entered swiftly inside. It was filled with all sorts of people, unusually crowded and hectic. All she needed to pick up was some tomatoes, a head of lettuce, noodles, and some hamburger meat. It would only take a minute and they could be on their way.

Well, that is what she wished to say in the least. It was only for a brief second, but Vladimir had managed to disappear from her side, lost within the aisles somewhere. He had so obediently followed her, but when it actually mattered he was gone. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily as you could call it, it did not take very long for her to hear a loud crashing sound a few aisles down.

She quickly rushed over, already saying prayers and pleading that no one beat her to him. Surely enough, there he was on the ground staring at a stuffed dog, absolutely mortified.

"What in the great world are you doing," she snapped, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him back to his feet. To her relief, no one had noticed, otherwise they may think of him as insane before kicking him out of the store.

"Do you see that… that poor creature! Do you humans normally kill dogs and sell their stuffed corpses like that," he pointed at the toy, horrified, "and you humans called me the monster, but you don't see me killing dogs. Why, not even beasts would harm such a cute little fluffy puppy."

"This is a toy," Vayne muttered, placing a hand on her hips as she held back a sigh of annoyance, "this isn't real. It is a fake meant for children."

Vladimir's eyes lit up in surprise, becoming fascinated in the toy now. Quickly, he pulled out his notebook that he had with him, jotting something down before tucking it back away in the inside pocket of his trench coat. She couldn't help but roll her eyes, trying to hide the embarrassment as she locked her arms around his, making sure he wouldn't be able to wander off and do something stupid again.

"Mom look at that emo couple," some kid pointed at them, "is that man a role player?"

Vayne quickly let go of the man's arm, feeling the shame flood through her. She could find herself hearing Vladimir whispering to himself, "the emo couple, I'm so happy."

She tried to ignore the comment, ignore how giddy and excited the reaper was getting. For the most part, gathering the rest of her supplies was going quite smoothly now, Vladimir not doing anything out of the ordinary as he merrily walked by her side in silence. He would wait patiently as she browsed through the sales selection, looking at a wide array of foods that wasn't even on her list.

They had not said very much during the rest of the grocery shopping, but the silence was one of odd welcoming. It was the first time today that she had felt at ease, especially as she no longer seemed to need to babysit the reaper like some whiny toddler crying in the store.

"So you humans also enjoy drinking blood," Vladimir curious asked, taking notice as she had reached for a glass jar of tomato sauce.

"No, this is made from tomatoes, a kind of vegetable we humans use," she responded.

"Oh, so there were other usages for tomatoes than just dicing them," he murmured to himself, "unless that is actually just blood. I don't judge if you are into blood drinking. You can just have some of mine for free."

"W-What no," she said, trying to figure out if he meant his actual blood or the blood he had stored away in his home, "anyways, lets leave. We have everything we need now."

They made their way to the checkout, everything running smoothly. However, she was not used to all these eyes directed towards their way. Normally, no one would take notice of her presence, yet today was going much different. All eyes were drawn towards Vladimir, allured by his seemingly beauty, or perhaps wondering why a cosplayer just walked into the store. If he was trying to look the part of a princely vampire, he sure was doing a good job at it.

Still, despite looking like a roleplayer, he had a certain seductive aura around him, dangerously so that she may have fallen for his charms like those around him. Perhaps this was how the man worked, putting on a charade of who he really was to lure unsuspecting prey to his home. Blood seemed to be a particularly fond topic of his, the smell practically staining his house. Is this how he would feast, upon human blood? Was she his next target?

She handed the cashier the money, the two walking back to her house together. The sun was still shining brightly in the sky, giving them plenty of time to prepare dinner before the planned meeting time for Luxanna to show up. It would just be something simple, spaghetti and salads, so it wouldn't appear she was trying so hard. Classy, but also a romantic dish they could settle on.

"So Vladimir, Vayne began to say, deciding to break the eerie silence. There was a thought which she had been wondering now, and figured now would be a good opportunity to ask it, "why do you carry that notebook around, what is it for?"

"Oh, that silly old thing," he responded, "I just want to remember the important things."

They did not say much more after that, walking the rest of the distance in silence, but his response had somehow left her a little disappointed. It was clear to her about what was in the content of the book, as it was visibly displayed across the cover, but she was hoping to know a little more than the oblivious. Just exactly did the man find important was another question that bloomed in her mind, but she decided to save the questions for later as her house had finally come into view.

They quickly made their way inside, dropping the bags of groceries on the kitchen table as she began to pull out a box of noodles from one of them. She made her way for a large pot and began filling it with water, pouring the noodles in.

He turned the oven eye on, watching the blue flames ignite as he placed a pan on top. The man reached for the package of hamburger meat and began to cut it open, dumping a portion of it in. For the most part, he seemed diligent enough, so she left him to cook the hamburger while she went to go make the salads. Once she was done, she made her way to set the table, but to her surprise someone had already done it.

The man did not hesitate as he reached for the hamburger meat, turning the oven eye on and watched as the blue flames ignored, placing a pan on top to heat up. He took the meat and began to cut the package open, dumping a portion of it in. Next, he reached for a spatula and began to cut the meat up, being diligent in his cooking so she decided to leave him to it. This was the first time she felt like he was useful, and he wasn't half bad at it either.

While he did that, she reached for the tomatoes, grabbing a knife and trying to cut it open. Cooking was not her strong suite, so it took her some time to really finish dicing them up.

"You're doing it wrong," Vladimir said, eyes still on the meat.

"I am quite skilled with a knife you know," Vayne protested, pouting as she worked on the next tomato.

She began to work diligently on the next tomato, getting only two slices in before cutting her finger. It was only a minor wound, a few drops of blood oozing out as she quickly put her finger in her mouth to stop the bleeding. Vladimir had placed two hands on his hips, eyes that practically said, "I told you so," which only made her want to slap him, even if he was right about it. Still, she didn't let something so small stop her as she reached for the knife again, readying to fully dice the tomato.

However, before she was able to fully cut the tomato, a pair of delicate, soft hands wrapped around hers and the blade, keeping them locked in place. A warm body gently pressed against her, making her stiffen up in place. A few strands of the man's hair dangled in front of his eyes as he leaned in beside her, eyes that were directed towards the tomato while hers were darting in every angle to avoid his.

He was too close, way to close that she lost all control of her composure. A male was never this close to her before, literally and metaphorically. Dozens of thoughts plagued her mind, many of which sent her face flushed red as she didn't want to imagine any of them. She felt so powerless in this position, that he would completely make her submit to his will and fulfill his sexual fantasies, yet none of them came to pass.

To her surprise, all he did was guide her hands, showing her how to properly cut the tomato instead of doing any devious things to her.

"So, why are you cutting tomatoes? Aren't we using tomato sauce for the spaghetti?" Vladimir's voice was warm on her neck, his face much to close.

"T-these are for the s-salads," she stammered, trying to weather the storm.

"Well, let me take care of the rest. I can't let my little honey bunny stab herself to death now can I," he slyly grin, his eyes soft and kind before quickly widening, as if in sudden realization, "are you perhaps a masochist? Are you int-" Vayne stopped him there, slamming the knife in between the reaper and the wooden counter, wedging it deeply in before crossing her arm, flashing him a strong glare.

She grabbed the black ribbon around his neck, yanking him straight to her face, watching his become the one all flustered and embarrassed, "I am not a masochist."

"Ha… ha… please don't kill me," he stammered, darting his eyes all around in anxious fear while trying to laugh it off.

Vayne let go of her grip on the ribbon, letting him fall back with the knife still wedged deeply in the counter as she made her way to the kitchen table in the next room over. From here, she could safely peak through to the kitchen, getting a good glimpse of the man without him knowing. This was how she watched him as he continued to cook, taking note as she watched him dice the onions.

Embarrassment flooded her mind as she watched him cook, desperately trying to resist the urge to become boiling red again. However, the attempts were futile, her stomach rumbling in anticipation as the sweet aroma filled her nostrils. She was by no means a good chef, and often lived off microwavable foods and cup noodles. Spaghetti was something easy to make and one of the few foods she could make, but it paled in comparison to his, and she hadn't even eaten a piece.

Already he was making himself out to be more of a man than most people she had met, diligently attending to the meat and preparing the side dishes. It was only when her phone started to buzz did she realize she had found herself staring, not knowing if it was at him or the allure of the food which mesmerized her.

It was from Luxanna, a single, rushed text that read, "Sorry! Something came up, I can't come, gotta go, explain later!"

Normally she would have felt frustrated, having to out of the way all for nothing, but this time a sigh of relief washed over her. Even though she had to endure such a frightening experience with the reaper, she no longer had to fear what he would do with Luxanna around. In some cases, she had dodged a harrowing bullet, able to finally relax and not have to worry. Instead, she could worry about the dinner date with her friend for another day, a time when perhaps the reaper was safely at his own home.

Vladimir had come into the room then, carrying several pots in his arms, the warm aroma dancing on her nostrils, enticing her to come forward. They would be alone now, Lux opting to bail out for reasons of which were unknown to her. It was a matter of breaking it to him now, to tell him the double date was canceled. Knowing him, he probably would just be enthusiastic to just have dinner with her, maybe a little too excited that they would be alone.

"Vladimir," Vayne began to say, "I got a text just now, the double date got canceled."

"Oh," he responded, setting the last of the dishes on the table, "well, I guess that means my little honey bunny gets my homemade cooking all to herself now."

"I bet it isn't even that good," Vayne crossed her arms, clearly lying as she pouted. The food smelled heavenly, far better than the cup noodles she had lived off of for days now, "probably taste like-"

She was stopped as the man shoved a piping hot meatball into her mouth, slowly pulling the fork back out and had a cocky grin written all over his face. It was really good, making her desperate for more, but as she reached for more, he pulled the pot away from her. He was practically taunting her now, making her need to beg for more, which had her squirming in her seat needing to be satisfied.

"You have to tell me first," he said, "did you like it."

"Yes," she whispered, so softly she doubted anyone could have heard it as she tried to hide her embarrassment, not wanting her face to be seen like this.

"Louder," he said.

"I loved it," she said, her face incredibly red, "just give me the fork already, I want food."

He moved the pot closer towards her finally, allowing her to dig into the meal. His cooking was astonishing good, or perhaps it was far superior compared to that of her own meals. If anything, she knew, he was a monster, but was a complete beast in the kitchen, which that aspect of his was perfectly okay with her. If anything, that was incredibly charming, and her satisfied stomach was in compliance with that as well.

However, as she ate, a yearning thought overcame her. Many really, but all of them had left her feeling a little off. He really was an extraordinary cook, but where did he learn how to make any of this. If he lived out on his own, was there much need to go out of his way to become this good, especially if he more than likely only dined on a any blood he could get his hands on.

She had also noted just how happy he had seemed with every bite she took, taking great amusement as she ate, so much so that she had decided to ask him about it in between bites, "what is it?"

"I'm just happy," he said, resting his head on his hand as he leaned in on the table, "that such a beautiful woman such as yourself said my cooking was good."

"S-shut up," she stammered, hiding her face in her plate, "what was the point in learning how to cook anyways. Don't your kind just eat blood anyways?"

Only for a brief moment, ever so softly, she could see a change in his demeanor, a shift in posture. This was definitely not a question she should have asked, but one which allowed her to know he was hiding something. It was only just briefly, but it was more than enough as he shift back to his carefree attitude again, looking her back in the eyes as he responded.

"It is for moments like these," he said, not going into further detail.

She did not press onward, leaving the conversation at that, figuring it would be best if she did not pry into the details for now. Besides, her stomach was a little too preoccupied with the food. They mostly ate in silence from there, licking the plates clean and finishing up. It was definitely nothing out of a romance novel, no candlelit dinner or anything extraordinary, but it didn't need to be anything extra as well.

He had offered to do the dishes, and the gesture was nice, but she reassured him that she was more than happy to do them herself as she showed him out the door, closing it behind him. For a moment she hesitated, wondering if she should have asked him one final question that was still lingering on her mind, until it became so hungering that she needed to know the answer.

She opened the door to see him about halfway from her house as she called out to him, "Vladimir, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it darling," he called back.

"Are you a virgin?" she said, "its not weird to still be a virgin still right?"

He laughed, giving her only a wink as he began to walk away.

"What is that supposed to mean," she pouted before muttering to herself, "screw Lux, being a virgin is perfectly okay."

She closed the door, making her way back inside. The wave of exhaustion had finally hit her, the long day taking its toll. Her body had grown heavy and her knees weak, ready to fall over at any moment for the comfort of her bed, but it wasn't until she found a letter fallen to the ground. It was the same one she had seen this morning, a reminder of the mission, and that there would be many more days like today ahead of her. Today was only the beginning of things to come.

* * *

Author's Note: I am not going to lie, I have had such a hectic month, that it was a miracle I even got this posted. Honestly, I should have actually edited this and checked for grammatical errors, but screw it, i'll just post it as it is. Thanks for waiting this long guys! As always, tell me what you all think, and tell me what I can do better! Thanks!


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